State of the Library
William Gray Potter
University Librarian and Associate Provost
August 15, 2007
HIGHLIGHTS OF PAST
YEAR
Collections
 Print collections continue to grow
 Proportion spent on electronic publications
increases every year.
 Expanded our collection of aerial photos of
Georgia.
 Electronic-only journals growing in humanities
and social sciences as well as sciences
 Thanks to Law Library, now have ECCO
Student Learning Center
 Gate count continues to increase, surpassing 2M
(up from 1.8M)
 Digital Media Lab opened
 Named 4th Floor Rotunda for Frank Daniel Foley,
Jr. of Columbus
 Now open for four years
Continued Growth and use of
Electronic Journals
 Delivery of full text articles 1,135,000
– Up from 1,047,000 in FY06 (8.4%)
– 390,000 of this is Elsevier
– Does not include 1,090,000 GALILEO
• Up slightly from FY06
– Combined, UGA and GALILEO = 2,137,000
– Overall 6% increase – slowdown in growth
after several years of 25-30%
Library Instruction-11,434
Students
Number of Participants in Library Instruction Sessions, 2002-2007
14,000
12,000
11,471
11,600
11,434
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
10,517
10,000
8,860
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
2002-2003
2003-2004

Source: Reference Department Annual Report
Digital Library of Georgia
Recent projects include:
– The 1936 Gainesville Tornado
– Beauty in Stone: Industrial films of the
Georgia Marble Company
– Early Walker County Papers (Cherokee
Land Lottery Deeds))
Work continues on the Civil Rights Digital
Library.
Library Use
 Circulation is up about 5% - from 469,062 in
FY06 to 492,132 in FY07
 1M hits on electronic reserves (down about 1/3rd
from FY06)
 Exit counts at Main and Science are up about 4% from 922,437 to 957,218
 Entry counts at SLC up 22% - 1.8M to 2.2MGIL
Express charges roughly the same – about 20,000
 Shelving is very tight – Claire Colombo
investigating options
Science Library
 Steering Committee
 Survey Task Force
– Extremely valuable
 Upcoming – Space Task Force
Personnel
 Addressed some salary issues– much to do
– Increased starting salary for librarians
– Adjusted for resulting compression
– As part of University effort, increased salaries for
lowest paid
– Used library funds to adjust for compression
 Five year review of University Librarian – was
completed – shared with all staff
Fire Recovery
– Still ongoing four years later
– Sprinkler installation in Main should be
finished by November
– New security system (intrusion alarm system)
now being installed
BUDGET
Status of Budget
 Personnel/Operations budget cut about 12% since
FY02
 No increase for FY08 apart from salaries
 No cuts yet for FY08, but we have been asked to
hold 1% in reserve
Library Materials Budget
 With one-time funds and cancellation of
low use serials, managed to avoid major
cancellations in FY07
 For FY08, faced a shortfall
– $9.3M total budgeted
– $10.6M projected expenditures
– $1.3M Shortfall
– $1.1M in one-time funds from University
– $200,000 credit from Ebsco
– So, we should balance
Library Materials Budget
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Looking beyond FY08 – Remains precarious
Costs continue to increase – University budget flat
New journals, new programs
Strong University support, but difficult
Close management by Dana Walker, Caroline
Killens, Nan McMurry, Lucy Rowland, and Susan
Curtis and their staffs have allowed us to stay
afloat
Thanks again to all involved!
Short Term Goals
Last Year and This Year
Short Term Goals for FY07
Maintain the best possible journal
collection given cost increases and
available funding.
 This is a continuing goal. Due to support
from the University and some judicious
management of the journal list, we were
able to adequately support instruction and
research.
1.
Short Term Goals for FY07
2. Conduct a program review of the
University Libraries.
 The report of the Library Review
Committee has been submitted to the
Provost. (Will discuss below.)
Short Term Goals for FY07
3. Initiate planning for a Fine Arts Library.
 Discussions with art and music faculty
support the need for this facility on or near
East Campus. It would be constructed
with private funds. Approval of a site is
needed.
Short Term Goals for FY07
4. Undertake a second iteration of
LibQUAL, a national program for
assessment.
 This was completed and the Libraries
fared well in comparison to our peer
and aspirational institutions. The
results proved useful in the Seven
Year Program Review.
Short Term Goals for FY07
5. Advance the Special Collections Libraries
Building on new Regents list.
 Much of the year was spent analyzing the
Regents new “strategic capital model” and
assisting in the preparation of new
documentation. Success continues in
fundraising for the private component, both
for construction and for endowments.
Short Term Goals for This Year
1. Maintain the best possible journal
collection given cost increases and
available funding.
 This is a continuing goal that we must
confront every year. Cost increases, limited
funding, and expanding programs makes
this increasingly problematic.
Short Term Goals for This Year
2. Support the Special Collections Libraries
Building in the Regents/State Process.
 Expectations are that this building will fit
well into the Regents new “strategic capital
model”, given the advanced state of the
design and significant private funding.
Regents have requested planning funds for
FY09.
Short Term Goals for This Year
3. Consider recommendations from the
Seven Year Program Review.
 This review was recently submitted to the
Provost. During the coming year, the
recommendations will be evaluated and
implemented where appropriate. (Will
discuss below.)
Short Term Goals for This Year
4. Implement new menu structure for
databases.
 It can be difficult using the 600 databases
that the Libraries acquire for the University
community. A new menu structure for these
databases will be installed and assessed.
Short Term Goals for This Year
5. Provide a digital backfile of The Red and
Black.
 Working with the publisher, the Libraries
have begun to digitize the backfile of The
Red and Black back to its inception in
1893. This will be an important resource
for the University community and a
prototype for mounting other Georgia
newspapers.
Five Year Plan - Quick Recap
The Teaching Library: Building Partnerships
The Evolving Collection: Blending Access,
Ownership, and Preservation
The Strengthened Heart of the University:
Library Buildings
The Empowered Staff: Investing in the Staff
and Faculty of the Libraries
(See Annual Report for more information.)
Seven Year Program Review
 Mandated by University
 The review committee consisted of three
members:
– Dr. Joe Crim, Professor, Department of Cellular
Biology and Associate Vice President of Instruction
(chair);
– Dr. Noel Fallows, Professor and Head, Department of
Romance Languages;
– Dr. Paul Roman, Distinguished Research Professor,
Department of Sociology.
Seven Year Program Review (cont.)
 Self-study submitted in October 2006
 Covered FY2000 through FY2006
 Committee charged in January
 Report issued in July
 Meeting with Committee, University Librarian,
and Provost’s office next week
 Overall, very positive on service, but points out
funding issues and use of electronic resources
 Will put report on web site later this week
Seven Year Review Committee,
Recommendation 1
 Commends Libraries for nimble efforts to
survive austere budgetary periods while
maintaining excellent and effective service.
 Recommends the central administration assign a
high priority to providing a predictable and
adequate budgetary allocation to meet present
and future needs.
 Expenditures for library materials in particular
would benefit from a much stronger investment.
Seven Year Review Committee,
Recommendation 2
 Commends the Libraries for their early
adoption of LibQUAL.
 Recommends that the survey be continued,
with the present 2-year interval.
Seven Year Review Committee,
Recommendation 3
 Commends the Libraries on the dedicated
and effective service provided by its staff.
 Recommends that the central administration
be aware of the essential roles of staff when
considering salaries and related budgetary
expenses required for recruitment, retention,
and a proper esprit de corps.
Seven Year Review Committee,
Recommendation 4
 Recommends that the Libraries revamp the web-
based interface used to access electronic resources
and information.
 The committee suggests that the libraries utilize
national LibQUAL survey data to identify ARL
libraries with strong information control ratings
and seek examples of “best practices” among such
institutions.
Seven Year Review Committee,
Recommendation 5
 Addressing user concerns about the adequacy of
indispensable electronic resources and information
likely provides the greatest leverage to improving
satisfaction with the performance of the libraries.
 Recommends to the central administration that the
budgetary base allocation for acquisitions be
increased substantially and stabilized.
Seven Year Review Committee,
Recommendation 6
 The committee expresses concerns about the
quality of functional space in the libraries.
 Recommends that the central administration
support an initial process to plan for major
renovations to the Main and Science Libraries.
 Suggests that the Office of Development be
charged to identify opportunities for new sources
of budgetary support for renovations.
Seven Year Review Committee,
Recommendation 7
 Adequate security at the libraries is an important
institutional priority.
 To date, dialog across the spectrum of interested
parties appears lacking, a circumstance which
hinders effective communication and decision
making.
 Recommends that the University Libraries
Committee of the University Council be charged
to assess the status of library security and to report
findings to the upper administration.
Seven Year Review Committee,
Recommendation 8
 Commends the UGA libraries for being pro-active
in the assessment and improvement cycle.
 Favors a standing committee for assessment.
 Recommends that the standing committee
coordinate communication of improvement plans
developed within units to the library
administration.
Seven Year Review Committee,
Recommendation 9
 Salaries for UGA library personnel have slipped to
a non-competitive level.
 Recommends that the senior administration make
structural issues of retention and replacement,
along with adequate staffing levels, a budgetary
priority.
 The associated strategic value of a degree program
in Library Science should be kept in mind if future
contingencies warrant consideration.
Red and Black Demo
 If we have time:
 http://tolson.libs.uga.edu:8080/xtf/search
Questions?